Last month, I had the opportunity to attend one of the craft beer and food pairing experiences in collaboration of Carlsberg Malaysia with Thirst Magazine. Happened on 20th of August, the session gives Malaysians especially beer enthusiast like myself a chance to experience craft beer in a brand-new light.

The session which I have attended featuring delicious craft brews from Brooklyn Brewery, which will be a series of intimate monthly events that showcase a menu from a different outlet each time.

For those who may not be familiar with Brooklyn Brewery, this particular brand is the no. 1 American craft beer exporter and is available in more than 30 countries. It has received numerous accolades and awards for its brews, including the 2018 Beer World Cup Gold Medal for Brooklyn Lager.

Two of their most popular variants – Brooklyn Lager and Brooklyn East IPA – is exclusively distributed by Carlsberg in Malaysia. This marks the seventh strategic distribution partnership of the two breweries globally after Sweden, Norway, the U.K., Hong Kong, Lithuania, and Singapore. So which one is my favorite among the two? Read until the end of this post to find out the answer.

The host of the session on that evening was Thomas Teo, Commercial Development Manager – Craft & Specialty of Carlsberg Singapore who has shared his extensive knowledge and insights on craft beer, food pairing, and the uniqueness of our featured beers for the night – Brooklyn Lager and Brooklyn East IPA – exclusively distributed by Carlsberg.

BROOKLYN LAGER
Brooklyn Lager is an American amber lager in the “Vienna” style. At 5.2% ABV, is amber-gold in colour and displays a firm malt centre supported by a refreshing bitterness and floral hop aroma. Caramel malts show in the finish.

BROOKLYN EAST IPA

Brooklyn East IPA, at 6.9% ABV, is a clean, drinkable India pale ale that offers a bold balance, with a bright piney aroma from American hops and the taste of stone fruits from East Kent Goldings hops yet with a firm bitterness characteristic of IPA's ancestral British home.

For this session, Carlsberg Malaysia has worked with Curious Kitchen for the following mouth-watering pairings below. Do take note the portion that we got during the pairing is not the actual full size dish.

First, we had the Brooklyn Lager paired with Curious Chili Cheeseburger Sliders & Iberico Pork Ribs (Half Slab). The Curious Chili Cheeseburger Sliders was really good. The patty was juicy and flavorful with combination of the freshness of the tomato slice and lettuce.

Next up is the pairing of Brooklyn East IPA with Pan Seared Salmon Steak Linguini & Lamb Skewers. The bitterness from the Brooklyn East IPA goes well with the slight spiciness from the lamb skewers. The skin on the Pan Seared Salmon Steak was crispy and the salmon steak itself is nicely done.

If you are interested with the craft beer and food pairing, Curious Kitchen is offering these pairings at a promotional price for two months until October 31st, 2018.

It's a pretty good deal I must say, especially when it comes together with either the Brooklyn Lager or Brooklyn East IPA. My favorite goes to the Brooklyn Lager since it has a more refreshing taste to it whereby it can be drank at any time of the day.

Curious Kitchen is also offering Brooklyn Lager at RM28++ and Brooklyn East IPA at RM33++ during this promotional period. Head on to carlsbergmalaysia.com.my for more information on Brooklyn’s craft brews.